Two Arrested After 15-Year-Old Dies Of Apparent Overdose In Pollock Pines

POLLOCK PINES (CBS13) – Two young men were arrested Monday and charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of a 15-year-old boy on Sunday in Pollock Pines.

El Dorado County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a medical call and found Alejandro Nunez Avila unresponsive. The El Dorado High School student was later pronounced dead at Marshal Hospital in Placerville.

Avila is believed to have ingested an unknown hallucinogenic drug, the sheriff’s office said.

Based on the ongoing investigation into Avila’s death, the sheriff’s office has arrested Jesse Howard Roberts, 21, and Elijah Lee Richter, 20, both residents of Camino, for their suspected involvement.

Both have been booked into the El Dorado County jail on felony charges of involuntary manslaughter.

Monday night, an outpouring of family, friends and classmates came together to mourn.

Dorine Nunez spoke directly to her son at times as she addressed his grieving friends.

“Babe, I know you’re with us here, right here, I know you are,” she said. “He may physically not be here with us, but he’s right here.”

Avila died early Sunday morning from what El Dorado County sheriff’s deputies believe was an overdose of a drug many haven’t heard of.

“This is the first time we’ve had contact with it in our county,” Sgt. James Byers said. “We know the drug was there. Some of the drug was seized at the party.

“When a new drug comes on the market, and nobody has any idea what the chemical composition is, how it’s going to react in your body, the dangers of taking that drug are so heightened, as you can see in this case.”

Deputies say they believe Alejandro voluntarily ingested something called 2-CB or Nexus – a psychedelic drug that apparently is gaining popularity. The coroner’s office is investigating to determine the exact cause of death and to identify any drugs he may have ingested. Toxicology results are expected to take six to eight weeks.

Deputies responded to call for medical aid at a home on Lakewood Drive in Pollock pines and found the boy unresponsive. Paramedics arrived but Avila was pronounced dead at Marshal Hospital in Placerville.